Sonic cavitational apparatus for cleaning strips of material

ABSTRACT

A VESSEL IS PROVIDED WITH A RESTRICTED PASSAGEWAY THEREIN THROUGH WHICH STRIPS OF MATERIAL AND CLEANING FLUID ARE SIMULTANEOUSLY PASSED AS RESONANT VIBRATIONS ARE APPLIED TO THE STRIP OF MATERIAL.

March 23, 1971 D. c. A. KOOPMAN 3,572,352

SONIC CAVITATIONAL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING STRIPS OF MATERIAL Filed Oct. 24, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

FIG. 2

INVENTORI D. C. A. KOOPMAN ms A TORNEY March 23, 1971 c KOOPMAN 3,572,352

SONIC CAVITATIONAL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING STRIPS OF MATERIAL Filed Oct. 24 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

INVENTORZ o. c. A. KOOPMAN BY: ,7Mj Z 24% HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,572,352 SONIC CAVITATIONAL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING STRIPS 0F MATERIAL Dirk C, A. Koopman, La Jolla, Calif assignor to Shell Oil Company, New York, N.Y. Filed Oct. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 770,173 Int. Cl. B08b 3/10 US. Cl. 134-122 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vessel is provided with a restricted passageway therein through which strips of material and cleaning fluid are simultaneously passed as resonant vibrations are applied to the strip of material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to the art of sonic cleaning of material and pertains more particularly to method and apparatus for utilizing sonic energy for creating cavitation in a cleaning fluid for the purpose of cleaning continuous strips of material.

One of the major problems associated with the manufacture or fabricationof continuous strips of material such as metals is the removal of deposits such as smut and scale formed thereon during the process of forming such as by extruding or rolling. This problem is particularly significant in the fabrication of continuous sheets of metal. Prior known cleaning devices such as ibrushes have not been particularly effective for this purpose.

Another object of the present invention is to provide method and apparatus for utilizing sonic energy for cavitational cleaning of continuous strips of material.

In accordance with the present invention a passageway is provided in the interior of a vessel through which a continuous strip of material is passed simultaneously with a flow of fluid as a strip of material is vibrated to thereby create cavitation in the fluid along at least a portion of the surface of said material and thereby clean and remove residue from said material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification when read in conjunction with the drawingsinwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view partially in section of a preferred form of apparatus for the present invention;

FIG. i2 is a detailed section of a portion of the apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view partially in section of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic elevational view partially in section of a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention for which the numeral 11 denotes an enclosed vessel for containing a fluid. The vessel is preferably enclosed and sealed so that suflicient pressure differential may be established to cause a flow of fluid therein. Suitable flow diverting or restricting means 12 and 13 is provided between intermediate ends of the vessel 11. A suitable passageway 14 is provided through or between the diverting means -12 and 13. This passageway has a configuration to give a venturi-like effect whereby fluid flowing therethrough is increased in velocity over a predetermined length of the passageway. The vessel 11 is provided with a suitable fluid-recirculating system comprising a conduit 15 in communication with the interior of the vessel on one side of the flow diverting means 12 and 13 through a suitable filter 16 and a pump 17 which is connected to a return conduit 18 in communication with the interior of the vessel on the opposite side of the flow diverting means. This system thus provides means for directing a flow of cleaning fluid through said passageway 14 by establishing a pressure differential between the ends of the passageway.

A suitable sonic or ultrasonic generator 19 is operatively coupled by means of suitable transmission means 20 to transmit sonic energy into at least a portion of an elongated member 21 and into at least a portion of the fluid in passageway 14. The illustrated transmission means 20 includes a pair of coupling members or arms 22 and 23 extending in preferably sealed relationship through openings 24 and 25 in the vessel 11 and are coupled, such as by pairs of rollers 26, 27, 28 and 29, to the elongated strip of material 21 which is to be cleaned. The elongated member or strip of material to be cleaned 21 extends in any suitable manner through a suitable sealed opening 30 into the vessel through a like opening 31 at the other end of the vessel.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a second embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment illustrates the use of an open vessel 38 separated into compartments by a wall 39 and having sufficient depth to obtain a head It in one compartment causing a flow of fluid through an opening 40 into the adjacent compartment. This arrangement eliminates the need for enclosing the vessel to maintain a head or pressure differential between the compartments. The level of fluid in one compartment may be maintained at a level such as the line designated by numeral 41 while the level in the adjacent compartment may be maintained at a level such as the line designated by numeral 42. Thus, the difference in fluid level between the compartments creates sufficient head h to maintain a flow of fluid through the opening 40.

A suitable oscillator 43 may be coupled, through transmission means 44 similar to that described with respect to FIG. 1, to a strip or sheet of material 45 which is to be cleaned. A pump system similar to that illustrated in FIG. 1 may be utilized to maintain the desired fluid levels.

OPERATION In the operation of the present device or apparatus, with particular reference to FIG. 1, a strip of material 21 to be cleaned is extended into the vessel at 30 through the coupling means 26, 27, 28 and 29 and through the exit opening 31 of the vessel. The interior of the vessel may be either completely filled with a suitable cleaning fluid or at least filled to a position above the top of opening 41 whereby operation of the pump system 17 creates a pressure differential in the vessel 11 causing a flow of fluid from left to right as viewed in FIG. 1 through opening 14 as indicated by the arrows 3-2 and 33. This flow of fluid through passageway 14 creates an increased velocity of the fluid over a predetermined length thereof and also results in a drop in fluid pressure within at least certain portions of the passageway. Operation of the oscillator '19 generates alternatively directive forces as indicated by arrow 34 which are transmitted through transmission means 20 to the strip or sheet 21. The oscillator or generator '19 is operated at a suitable frequency to generate a pattern of standing waves in the sheet or strip 21. This pattern of waves may be such as illustrated in wave pattern 35 shown in FIG. 2. In the case of the strip or sheet 21 being an elastic material such as steel an elastic standing wave pattern is preferably generated therein. This vibration of member or sheet 21 in passageway 14 alternately compresses and dilates the fluid on either side thereof in the passageway 14 as can readily be seen in FIG. 2. This alternate compression and dilation together with the venturi-like eifect of passageway 14 creates a cavitation field within the passageway on both sides of the sheet or strip 21 thus producing a very efl'lcient cleaning of the strip or sheet 21.

I claim as my invention:

"1. A sonic cavitational cleaning apparatus for cleaning elongated strips of material, said apparatus comprising:

a vessel for containing a cleaning fluid;

flow-diverting means positioned in said vessel intermediate the ends thereof;

a passageway being formed by said flow diverting 1 means;

said passageway being of a configuration whereby fluid flow through said passageway is increased in velocity and fluid pressure is decreased over a predetermined length of said vessel said passageway being disposed 20 so that the elongated strips of material may pass through the passageway;

means directing a flow of cleaning fluid through said passageway from one end of said vessel towards the opposite end; and

sonic oscillator means operatively coupled through 4 transmission means to the elongated strip of material to transmit sonic energy into at least a portion of said fluid in said passageway.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising conduit means communcating between opposite sides of said flow diverting means; and

pump means operatively coupled to said conduit means to direct a flow of said cleaning fluid from one side of said flow diverting means through said conduit means to the other side of said flow diverting means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 12,967,119 1/1961 Gutterman 1341 3,033,710 5/1962 Hightower et al. 134-1 3,052,244 9/1962 Gley 13464 3,108,025 10/1963 Gutterman 134-1I22X FOREIGN PATENTS 902,206 1/ 1954 Germany 134-1 ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

